Once in a Blue Moon
by Midnight4595
Summary: Meet Sesshomaru and meet Yue. Adventures throughout the forests of feudal Japan begin to take its toll on the the cold heart of the Western Lord. Can a demoness with an odd bloodline change the icy demon prince - a change that comes only once in a blue moon?
1. Chapter 1: Bleeding Forest

Ok, so this is my first fanfiction for Inuyasha.

Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its character.

A little side note here - Sesshomaru has both his arms in this story. Don't ask me why, he just does.

Here is:

Once in a Blue Moon

---+---

Chapter One:

Bleeding Forest

The Western Lands has arrived at a time of peace after years of bloodshed that was brought forth by the wrath of the half-demon Naraku. But now, such a threat of evil had been eliminated, and, though the Lord of the Western Lands would never admit it, Inuyasha, his half-breed of a brother whom he refers to as an insufferable idiot, was a great ally in the battle to end the dark reign.

A swift form of white raced through the tree branches of the luscious forest. Dawn was breaking, and the light from the new day illuminated fine silver hair and turned it into gleaming beads of blanc.

It has been months since Sesshomaru had last been in the comforts of the dog demon fortress – his home. Naraku had set him on a wild chase throughout his own lands, but as the protector and hierarchy of the region, it is his duty to end the ailments of his people. And finally, it has been done.

As he continued to steadily progress towards his own castle, his pointed ears detected a noise – cries of dying demons.

'Demons. A massacre of demons.'

Blood suddenly roamed the air, its metallic essence so thick that it felt as though it could be tasted just by inhaling the suffocating scent of the surroundings. Death, lots of death was just up ahead.

--+--

'Damn, they just won't go away!'

A young woman gritted her teeth as she assessed the situation before her. Corpses and parts of demons laid amok as blood tainted the green carpet of the forest floor.

'Okay,' she thought, 'Just five more left. Five more...'

She ran with as much speed as she had left and aimed one of her sais precisely at a demon bear's heart. Using her other sai, she sliced another of the beasts that charged at her. With a thud, both victims of her skill sprawled dead on the ground. With agility she retrieved the weapon perched on the demon's heart to stab one of the last three remaining.

"Two more."

Breathing hard, the woman expertly threw her sais at the heads of the pair left standing. And with that, the two demons fell just like the ones before them had under the hands of this demoness.

Exhausted, the petite figure dropped to her knees, her breaths coming at a ragged pace.

Instincts suddenly overwhelmed her as she rolled to escape a, what would have been, fatal blow to the the head.

"Gahhh," she cried as the sharp, foot long talons of the bird demon sliced its way to her left shoulder.

"Shit," she hissed through clenched teeth, feeling her own blood soaking through her lavender kimono. 'I was too careless to notice that there was one more left.'

Jumping just as the large lump of flying meat lunched forward, the woman landed on its back before using her claws to decapitating its head.

As she reached the ground, she clenched her teeth in pain as she placed pressure on the wound using her right hand to stop the bleeding. When she sensed something lurking in the nearby pushes, the female positioned herself into a fighting position, all the while calculating her chances of gathering her sais without whatever it is attacking her.

'Another one, dammit. This is not my day.'

Her ebony orbs traveled back and forth from her pair of sais about a dozen feet away and the trees she assumed the newcomer to be. She realized that her eyes were staring to become hazy. Shaking her head, she tried to focus and maintain consciousness.

'Ok, my chances right now are...not very good,' she thought, her lips setting into a deep frown.

--+--

'The fool is actually planning to fight me.'

He usually wouldn't bother to witness such events that occur occasionally in his land, but this battle was in the direct path homeward. And his ego would not let him circumvent the area just because a fight was occurring. No. As lord of these lands, he would go through whichever way he decided, and anyone who dares challenge his decision would pay the price with their lives.

As a result of this pride, he had seen the last part of the struggle between this one demoness and the demons that she had slain.

Now, it was apparently his turn to face her.

--+--

Once she heard the leaves rustle, the demoness sprinted quickly and grabbed both her sais that were protruding from the heads of the lifeless demons. Taking a defensive position, she observed the white form of a human male evoke itself from the curtains of the trees.

'No, it's a demon,' she realized upon seeing the violet markings on his face and the sharp claws of his hands.

Knowing that she needed to end this fast for the sake of her failing stamina, she launched one sai towards the male. But as she did, her white target vanished before reappearing right in front of her. Using her remaining sai, she executed a slice to the neck, but found she couldn't. She was worn out and too weak to fight any longer. Her legs buckled and the next thing she knew, she was on her knees.

"Dammit," she whispered. 'I can't die here.'

Sesshomaru was slightly amused as he watched the woman kneeling before him use her only weapon to get back up to her feet, staggering greatly from, what he knew, to be immense pain from the long battle she endured.

Her petite body fell once more, this time landing on the white silk covering his chest. She pushed away to stand again, but couldn't. She couldn't move anymore. Her body was at its limit, and she knew it for she stopped struggling and embraced her fate, which, she believed would be death by this male demon.

Her lids shut close expecting to feel the blow that would take her life. Nothing. It didn't come. Instead, a cold baritone voice called to her.

"I'm not here to kill you."

That was all she heard before looking up to see beautiful amber eyes gazing back into her black ones. But they were harsh. Unemotional. Yet, they meant no harm. Then her body went limp, and everything went dark.

Her long, curly hair - the color of the palest shade of blue - cascaded past the hand that supported her head.

After seeing the little endeavor between the girl in his arm and the demons dead before him, he was a bit impressed.

'This demoness had managed to fend or kill what appears to be at least a hundred demons,' he analyzed from the large population of lifeless bodies surrounding him, 'She must have been fighting for a long period against this horde.'

He let his gaze wander down to the small figure in his grasp, noticing the blood that still leaked through her shoulder and the endless cuts on the her skin.

"And even in her weakened state, she managed to sense my presence and launch a counterattack. But even though her mind still had the strength to fight, her body wasn't as enduring."

--+--

"Lower the bridge, and open the gates. It's Lord Sesshomaru!"

Large iron gates shielding a vast fortress behind an immense stone wall creaked open to welcome its master.

Once the wooden bridge fell open to allow passage through the deep moat surrounding the estate, Sesshomaru sauntered casually into his home. The woman in his arms had been unconscious during the whole duration of his run.

"Jaken!" he barked.

A small, green toad holding a staff with two heads immediately came forward.

"Yes, my lord," he answered, gawking at the thing in his master's arms.

"Summon the healers at once."

"As you wish, sire."

The toad ran ahead to fulfill his lord's orders, for, what he guessed, was due to the wounded demoness he was carrying.

Sesshomaru headed towards the medical vicinity of the palace after seeing Jaken run off to inform the medics. Everywhere around him, heads bowed and stared curiously at the bundle in his arms. Whispers erupted about the scene with deep regards to the strange sight in front of them. It was odd to see their cold lord in the company of a female demon, especially when said demon was laying bridal style in his arms for all to see.

After reaching the healers' room, the dog demon placed the girl on a thick mat. As soon as he did, the medics of the palace gathered about to diagnose and cure the injured woman.

The Lord of the Western Lands took on the girls tattered look. Her waist-length hair was dulled with the color of red life liquid, and her faced scrunched in pain. The knee-length lavender kimono she wore was torn, and the smear of blood added an unwelcome design next to the random pattern of six-pointed stars. The see-through white sash wrapped around her arms and shoulders was removed by one of the doctors to gain better access to her ailments.

"After she is tended to, bring her to one of the available quarters closest to my mine. Make sure she is looked after, and alert me when she regains her consciousness."

"As you wish, Lord Sesshomaru," answered one of the elder medics present.

With that, the demon lord withdrew to his own chambers.

--+--

Golden orbs gazed down the balcony of his bed chamber and blankly absorbed the green scenery around his dominion. He had been thinking for a while. It was strange to have a demoness, whom had tried to kill him, under his roof. And what's more, after watching her fight a battle that he would have predicted for her to lose, his interest as to who she was augmented.

'She's from a strong bloodline, that is certain.'

---+---

Well, here is the first chapter. Sorry it's so slow, but it'll get moving.

Hope you enjoy it and please review. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2: Odd Greetings

Chapter Two is now up. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it characters but the fictional figures unique to this story are mine to own.

Pronunciation of Yue: (you-a) The "a" is the same way as you would pronounce it in the alahbet song.

---+---

Chapter Two:

Odd Greetings

"Shinta, get them away from here!"

"There are too many demons. I doubt that you can handle them all alone."

"Even so, I have to. At least _they_ would be safe."

The ground began to tremble beneath then. In an explosion of rocks and dirt, a large snake emerged, it's fangs dripping with venom. It set its red eyes hungrily at the group of humans at Shinta's side, and with a loud hiss, it launched forward to devour its prey.

"Ahh," one of the women in the group screamed.

"Go, please," the demoness pleaded as she shielded them from the snake using the silver staff in her hands.

She watched as Shinta led them out of the battlefield.

"Be careful," she heard him say.

"No, we can't just leave her here!" one of the females protested as she wrestled with the four other bodies that blocked her path towards the demoness protecting them. She kept on struggling as they dragged her away, but her attempts failed.

The woman smiled knowing her family was at least safe.

'Take care of them.'

With that final thought, she allowed her staff to transform into two silver sais before using it to slice the snake's body. Blood splattered in the air as the freshly cut meat fell to the ground.

Seeing a group of demons pursuing towards her family, she sprinted and delivered a massive inferno at their foul bodies.

She saw her family in the distance, the female still struggling against the others. However, to the demoness's dismay, she realized that they were heading in the direction where a new horde of demons were approaching.

"No. No, they won't stand a chance."

Using all the power in her legs, she sped fast to protect her family from the danger they were unknowingly walking into.

"Yueee-," a female voice cried out in terror before being cut off by a piercing scream.

The demoness stopped in her tracks as everything around her fell into silence.

"Amaya!"

-+-

A body lurched forward. Icy blue hair fell into curly locks surrounding a face dotted with cuts.

'It was just a dream. A very bad...dream,' the woman assured herself. She looked in front of her and realized that she was in a large, rather expensive-looking room. Her lavender kimono had been replaced by a simple white one, and her wounds and hair had been cleaned.

"You're awake."

An older demoness sat to her side. She had dark red hair tied in a bun behind her, and she wore a yellow kimono that perfectly accentuated her body.

Warily, the younger woman analyzed the red-head's face to see if she meant any harm; she didn't.

"You've been having a lot of nightmares ever since you got here."

"Where is here, exactly, if I may ask?"

"You are within the home of our master, Lord Sesshomaru," answered the woman.

"I see."

"Forgive me, I haven't introduced myself," the red-haired woman said, "My name is Natsumi, one of the ladies of the court at this palace."

"Pleasure to meet you, Natsumi. My name is Yue," the other demoness introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lady Yue."

'Lady?'

"You are quite fortunate that our lord came upon you as he did. You had lost a lot of blood, and have that rather large gash on your shoulder. It it were not for him, you probably wouldn't have survived," Natsumi explained, watching as Yue inspected the bandages covering her shoulder wound.

"I presume that this lord who brought me here is the Lord Sesshomaru you spoke of," Yue stated rather than asked. She clearly remembered white, a lot of it, in the forest right before everything dimmed black.

"Yes. In fact, I'd sent some one to inform him of your awakening," the elder woman said, "He had wanted a thorough report on your recovery."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. You should consider yourself quite lucky that he even brought you here at all. You see, our lord does not take easily to anyone, especially a demoness that he had just found barely alive in the forest. I commend you, though. You must have made quite a first impression on him, Lady Yue," Natsumi praised as she began changing the blood-covered bandages on Yue's shoulder.

"Though, that is a mystery in itself. How good is my first impression when all I seeked was his death," Yue pointed out, all the while winching as Natsumi rubbed some medicinal herbs at the gash.

Upon hearing this, Natsumi stared oddly at Yue's face. "You fought Lord Sesshomaru!?"

"It was a misunderstanding on my part," she answered with a nod.

"Well, I guess it ended well enough," the red head believed, "It was probably your strength that made an impression on him then."

"Hmm."

"Natsumi," the same baritone voice that Yue had heard before passing out in the forest was heard.

A man with long silver locks wearing white clothing and dark armor with a sash holding two swords appeared at scene.

'That's him,' Yue named in her mind. She recognized the amber orbs staring at them as the same eyes that had held her.

"Lord Sesshomaru," Natsumi greeted as she stood, bowing low at the back to show her respect.

"Leave us," came the cold but melodious voice.

"Yes, sire."

Before the woman reached the entry way, Yue called out to her.

"Natsumi," she said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Now, it was only the two of them left in the spacious room. Gold clashed with onyx.

Sesshomaru's golden spheres eyed the woman sitting in front of him whose own black orbs gazed analytically back.

"State you name."

"Yue," she answered, "and I presume you are the Lord Sesshomaru that Natsumi informed me of."

"And what business do you have if I was," was Sesshomaru's calm reply.

"Nothing of malice, my lord," Yue elaborated, "I just want to give my deepest gratitude to the individual responsible for my survival."

The demon lord watched as the demoness positioned herself directly in front of him before putting her hands forward and kneeling to a low bow. Yue ignored the searing agony jolting around her body as she moved.

"If it causes so much pain," Sesshomaru started, "why cause yourself more suffering by bowing before a lord you don't even serve."

"Because it is this lord that gave me the chance to live. My gratitude to you is far stronger than the pain I feel right now," Yue said, bravely eyeing Sesshomaru in the face once more, "And such pain will lapse momentarily just as my wounds would heal."

The Lord of the Western Lands looked at the sight before him. The girl was unhealthily pale and her body was damaged with numerous amounts of cuts. The kimono she wore had specks of blood that had managed to seep through the bandaged wounds. But in her eyes, he saw something.

'She's wiser than her appearance suggests.'

"When Natsumi informs me that you are capable to ambulate, you will explain your business with those demons you've slain in the forest."

His white figure headed for the door but was stopped.

"Lord Sesshomaru." He turned around slightly to look at the girl, her eyes cast low to the ground.

"I also apologize for my behavior towards you at the forest."

"It is unnecessary to apologize for a faulty action you could have never managed to actually fulfill."

Realizing his meaning, Yue forced herself to stand, her legs trembling at the exertion. Sesshomaru watched as she pushed herself to stand upright.

"I stated an apology in regards to the misunderstanding in the forest on my behalf," the demoness claimed, "But I never suggested that I was weak in comparison to you."

The master of the castle turned his back towards her and headed to the exit. But before he left, he said, "It is naturally implied that you are."

A frown gradually appeared on her pale complexion at his words.

Yue waited as he disappeared completely from her view before dropping back down to the futon beneath her. Her energy was drained from what she put herself into, but she didn't want to give the lord the satisfactory of seeing her fall from her weak state.

Suddenly, a movement by the doorway caught her eye.

"Who's there?"

A girl with long brown hair slowly revealed herself although half her body was still covered by the entry wall.

'A human. What's she doing her?'

"Don't me shy," Yue kindly called, "I won't hurt you, I promise."

Surely enough, the girl moved forward and dropped herself next to the demoness.

"What is your name, young one?"

"Rin," came the reply, "What's yours?"

"It's Yue," she answered with a soft smile.

"Nice to meet you, Yue," Rin spoke, her shyness melting to reveal a bubbly personality.

A light laugh escaped the demoness's lips, "And I you, Rin."

The child offered her own smile.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Yue stated the question that had been entertaining her upon seeing the girl.

"So Rin, if it's alright, would you mind telling me what a human, such as yourself, is doing her in this palace filled with demons."

"It's my home."

Yue didn't bother to hide her surprise before continuing with the light-hearted interrogation.

"How so?"

"Lord Sesshomaru took me in," Rin replied, her eyes looking more distant as she remembered the past, "He revived me with I was killed by a pack of wolf demons. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here and met you."

A smile graced the older female's lips at the child's innocent words.

"Yes, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him either," the woman related.

"Mhm, so please don't hate him. I know he seems really horrible but," the human child explained, "But he means well. He just doesn't show it much."

"Don't worry. I don't hate him," Yue assured the child.

"You like him then?" Rin questioned, a knowing grin spreading itself on her lips.

"Eh," the blue haired demon blurted out.

"You do like him don't you, Yue?"

"Are you trying to find him a mate, Rin?" the woman teased back.

A laugh erupted from both of them.

"You adore him, don't you?"

"Of course, he's Lord Sesshomaru," was the exuberant reply from the child.

"I guess he is," Yue giggled.

---+---

Done on this Chapter.

Please review. Pleassse.


	3. Chapter 3: Woman vs Man

Chapter Three is Up and Ready!

Enjoy...

---+---

Chapter Three:

Woman vs. Man

"Rin," Sesshomaru called, "were you not supposed to be in your quarters practicing your kanji?"

The said girl stopped her skipping in the halls and looked up to see her lord standing before her, expecting an answer.

"Why, yes my lord," she said happily, "Yue was helping me in her room. Haruna said it was okay."

"And thank you very much for bringing her here, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin added as an afterthought, "She's really nice. She's even been telling me stories of her life in the Southern Lands."

The young lord gave a plain 'hn' as he continued to walk towards the military room of the fortress, leaving the child to look after him.

--+--

"My lord, there's been reports of a possible coup d'etat down by the sourthern borders. Apparently, a dying clan in the Southern Territories has been wrecking havoc and has been passing into your lands without an official clearing."

"Have you sent messengers to take a complete assessment of the area, Kenta," boomed Sesshomaru's voice, authority laced with every word he said.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. They've been sent two days ago to gain intelligence on the situation," the demon advisor answered.

"That is fine. Alert me of their return and inform the soldiers of a possible battle," the legendary dog demon stated, "Make sure weapons are in prime condition, and the palace is under safe construction."

"Yes, my lord."

--+--

Sesshomaru entered the chamber next to his own personal quarters to check on their wounded guest. When he arrived, he saw no one. The futon on the polished floor had been neatly folded and the blue-haired woman completely absent.

Exiting the empty room, he ordered for the summon of Natsumi.

"Yes, sire?" she called.

"Where is the woman?" he asked.

"Lady Yue has strongly asked to have access to the exercise grounds in the lowest levels of the castle," she explained, her head tilted downward, "She even asked for one of the training outfits."

"And on whose permission was she allowed to do as she pleased?" barked the demon lord.

"I offer my sincerest apologies, my lord. I only permitted her for the sake of her health. She needs exercise so that her body would be accustomed to its normal functions after such a long period of being bed-ridden."

When Natsumi looked up to further beg her apologies, she met, not the angry amber orbs of her master, but lost, brown eyes.

"Rin?"

"Yes?" the young girl inquired, "Uh, Natsumi, what are you doing her talking to yourself?"

"I was speaking to Lord Sesshomaru."

"Lord Sesshomaru? I haven't seen him anywhere in this hall," Rin explained.

"Ahh, never mind then, young one," Natsumi waved off the conversation.

Wind swept through both their hair as it entered from the large balcony window next to where they stood.

Looking out, Natsumi said her blessings, 'Thank you. I got off easy.'

--+--

Down on the ground floor, a curvaceous woman walked through a dark stone tunnel that lead to a spacious green area. There, she was met with a large quantity of fierce eyes, some hungrily eating her womanly body. Apparently, the outfit Natsumi had given her was skin tight and figure hugging to allow easy movement.

'It's a wonder how demoness can train with these suits without feeling so self-conscious,' she wondered.

She walked to an empty corner of the large rectangle with the twin swords she borrowed in hand. 'I guess these swords would have to do until I get Seishin back.'

"Hey, you," a rough bark shouted behind her, "the girl with the swords."

Yue ignored the rude call and continued to head towards the empty spot.

A strong grip placed itself on her injured shoulder, and she winced slightly before turning half way around, the hands still touching her.

"Woman, are you deaf?" a large dog demon with a large scar running across his face stated.

With deadly eyes, Yue glared at the hand before gazing menacingly at the owner's misshaped head.

"My name is not 'woman' nor is it 'you,'"she said, a threat hiding behind her statement.

"So, you're a fighting bitch, huh?" he claimed, laughing.

The laughter soon spread like wildfire throughout the arena. Yue finally noticed that she was the only female there, not like she would have cared in the first place.

"Well, I guess you're a laughing bastard then," Yue sneered.

The burly man stopped his loud cackle while the other males howled even louder.

"Why you," he said, his hand gripping her shoulder more tightly while getting his other hand ready for a punch.

Yue hid the pain she felt behind a well composed mask. She used one of her hands to hold the huge hand holding her prisoner before digging her claws into it. Yelling in pain, the man loosened his hold which allowed the demoness enough time to disappear from his sight.

"You bitch!" he cursed, "Come and fight like a man."

Cold steel suddenly found its way around his neck.

"I'm a woman," came a voice, "Or are you too much of an idiot to notice."

Yue stood behind the large man. With a sword in each of her hands, she held the man in place by dangerously holding the sharp pair of steel at an angle on both sides of his neck.

The huge man growled angrily at having been humiliated by a woman.

Yue scanned around her and noticed that some of the other guys in the area were starting to form a circle around her and her prisoner.

'Huh, how sad. He needs his friends to bail him out,' she thought.

"Attack the bitch," the man in front of her ordered.

Quickly, she knocked him unconscious with a hard blow to the head using her sword hilt, and then jumped high to get escape the ambush. She landed quietly on her feet outside the group of men.

One by one, they began to charge at her. The first one she punched straight in the face, and when she sensed a hand about to choke her from behind, she back flipped before knocking him unconscious with another attack to the head. After she threw one over her head towards the stone walls of the area, a male managed to capture her around the waist, and another was directly in front of her, ready to throw a powerful punch at her body. Yue was about to duck so that the blow would hit her capturer instead, but nothing came.

A blanc figure with long and shining silver hair stood in front of her. One of his hands had caught the fist aimed in her direction.

With a loud crunch, the man crushed the bones in the fist he held, and the owner screamed in agony, dropping to his knees in pain. Releasing his grasp on the now useless hand, amber eyes glared dangerously at the group of men around him.

"Release her!" he growled.

Yue dropped to her feet, the imposing arms no longer around her.

"Your behaviors under this arena are simply not tolerable," came the baritone voice, a hint of death mixed with its normal sound.

"We didn't know she was under your care, my lord," one of the men begged with a shaky voice.

"And even if she wasn't, such actions under my land are not permissible," Lord Sesshomaru proclaimed. "Who was responsible for the start of this ruckus?"

The cluster of men parted to reveal the huge man just beginning to stirring from his sudden sleep.

"Hey, did you guys get the bitch?" he asked a man as he tried to get up.

No answer came. Wondering why, he turned around only to come eye to eye with fiery red eyes.

"Sire," he said before being lifted high up by one strong fist.

"No one under my authority and my home shall ever attack a person on the same side - a woman especially - until you are ordered by me to do so," Sesshomaru threatened, a low growl escaping his lips and his eyes slightly turning into a dark, foreboding shade of crimson.

"It won't happen again, my lord," was the feeble answer.

"I know it won't," was the reply.

With a flick of the wrist, he sent the large man flying towards the rocky walls of the arena. The throw wasn't enough to kill him, but Sesshomaru knew that it was enough to break most of his bones.

Everyone watched as the soldier flew across the area, expecting a loud crash once he hits the walls. He never did. They saw a petite shadow from the corner of their eyes sprinting and stopping just behind the large mass to catch it.

Yue placed him safely to the ground as gently as she could with his weight and her injuries.

Everyone in the rectangular space held their breaths, expecting the daring woman to face the wraith of their lord for going against his actions.

But "Why did you save the that man from a fate he clearly deserved?" was the only response that came.

"Because, Lord Sesshomaru, it was a fate he didn't deserve," Yue's voice wisely pointed out, "Surely, there is a better option to prevent criminal actions besides that of pain."

"Hn."

The demon lord walked back indoors, all the men making a path for their superior.

"Meet me at my quarters once you are proper and ready," Yue heard Sesshomaru say.

Yue decided that she had better get ready as soon as possible, but at mid-step, a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked behind her to see the man she had saved coming to.

"Thank you," he weakly said.

Smiling, she nodded before heading for the exit herself. She then stopped in her tracks to look back and said, "Sorry for hurting your hand and for giving you that bump on your head."

With that, she disappeared into the tunnel, the men all looking at were she had been.

"That's quite a woman," one of them said.

"Indeed, she is," the large one reinforced.

Yue rushed into the tunnel, making sure she was deep enough for the men outside to not see her in the shadows, until she stumbled to brace herself on one of the walls.

Breathing hard, she squeezed her shoulder a bit to add some much needed pressure on the pain that was evoking itself.

'Dammit.'

She slid down against the stone bricks, waiting for the pain to subside, but it didn't. It only augmented.

Yue took in a sharp intake of air to calm herself down, clutching her left shoulder more. Her heart was pounding so hard in her ears that she couldn't sense anything else.

A warm hand grasped her own. She pulled her head up and saw Sesshomaru kneeling in front of her.

'I thought he'd already returned to the palace.'

She watched, paralyzed, whether from the pain or whether from him, she didn't know which, as the young lord relaxed her rigid hand and lifted it from the gash. He began to tug at the buttons at the neck to the chest of her outfit and moved the fabric to reveal her wounded shoulder.

"Your gash opened up slightly," he said," Probably from the altercation earlier."

She didn't respond.

Yue just stared, unmoving, as Sesshomaru removed his sash and securely tied it around her wound.

"Thank you," she said, noting the close proximity.

"Your welcome,' she felt his breath of her neck.

She didn't know if she heard right or if she dreamt it because when she blinked, he was already waking away. But the sting his breath made on her skin proved other-wise.

"You should get that checked before you arrive to meet me," was the final sentence.

It barely registered in the demoness's mind until moments later. Yue stood up and shook her head to clear it. All of a sudden, she didn't feel the sharp jolt of the injury anymore; it now felt numb.

---+---

Review, puh-lease.


	4. Chapter 4: My Duty

Chapter Four is...this one!

Hope you like it.

---+---

Chapter Four:

My Duty

Yue entered the spacious room she was given to change into an appropriate kimono to meet Lord Sesshomaru with. She had just finished going to the medical center of the palace. And now, she held _his_ sash in her hands.

"Natsumi?" she said, realizing she was not alone. "What are you doing here?"

The said woman came forward and with two other women, she flanked the younger demoness.

"We are here to make sure that your best is put forward. This is, afterall, a meeting between you and our great lord."

"I, uh, okay," Yue was forced to agree as the other two women dragged her deeper into the chamber and sat her in front of a full length mirror.

Natsumi disappeared from her sight as one of the females applied a small touch of face paint and powder to accentuate her natural beauty. The other one, on the other hand, began to disentangle her waist-length blue tresses.

"Is all this really necessary?"

She heard Natsumi giggle behind her.

"Of course it is necessary, Lady Yue," Natsumi reasoned, "Everyone who meets Lord Sesshomaru in private must be presentable in the highest fashion."

Sure enough, the red-haired young woman stood before Yue with a beautiful midnight blue kimono decorated with white lilies with a pink center at the hems. Lavender-colored butterflies dotted the area just above the flower decors. On top of the silky pile was a white sash.

After the other two females were done with their jobs, Yue found herself fitted to a large amount of fabric.

"Isn't it alright if I just wore my own kimono!"

--+--

A knock at the door caused the young demon lord to shift his gaze from the large window overlooking the forests leading to the southern boundary.

"Enter."

The entrance was slid open, and Natsumi came in with a bow.

"My lord, Lady Yue has arrived as you requested," she announced.

"Bring her in," he stated normally.

The woman departed and from where she had been, Yue meekly stood after entering.

"Sire," she bowed.

Sesshomaru surveyed the kimono that she adorned. The midnight blue mixed perfectly with her pale blue hair all the while contrasting greatly with her marble-like skin.

Even to him, the woman positioned in front of him was...beautiful.

"Come forward," Sesshomaru order.

She did.

"Sit." Just as she was told, Yue sat in front of the tea table. However, she hated the fact that she felt as though she were a pet dog that must obey her master.

"Before we start, sire. Here is your sash," she said, presenting the violet and gold silk she had kept in her sleeves.

"Keep it."

"My lord?"

"I said keep it. I do not need it," was his reply.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru."

"So tell me. What was your business at the forest, demoness?" he questioned, quickly forgetting the about the sash, "Why were you fighting with those demons?"

"Sire, it was, of course, for my survival. I had to fight lest I wanted to be devoured," she simply spoke the truth.

'Witty, I see,' Sesshomaru observed.

"Elaborate woman," he forcefully ordered.

"Yes, my lord," she answered, "My family and I were escaping the drought that ravaged our home in the Southern Lands. And when my family had heard that a demon - Naraku was his name if I recall correctly - that had been terrorizing the Western Lands had been executed, they believed that it would have been safe to pursue life there since our home was near the border."

"So you are from the Southern Territory."

"Yes."

"My guards at the southern border had informed us of trespassers from the south coming into Western Territory without proper claim," he explained the situation.

Yue's eyes widened and gazed directly into Sesshomaru, "We are not trespassers. The guards of the southern border granted us permission to cross."

Detecting no sign of a lie, Sesshomaru told her to continue.

"Yes, well, after gaining entry into your lands, we discovered that the information we gathered was wrong. The territory was not as safe as we were led to believe. It was as deadly as the drought we had to endure," she said, her voice gradually taking on a sad tone. "We learned that more demons have returned from hiding ever since Naraku was killed, and thus, swarms of them filled the landscape. The drought from the upper Southern Territory have also caused the demons there to pursue prey here."

She was interrupted when the door opened, and a tea set was placed before her on the table. Sesshomaru then sat opposite her and began to consume a cup.

"You may help yourself," he said.

"Hm, thank you."

Yue took one of the fine porcelain glass already filled with tea. She didn't drink it, but rather, she watched her reflection on the murky liquid.

"My advisors have informed me of these demons that have arrived from the south without clearance."

Yue looked up and saw Sesshomaru staring straight at her.

"And?" she asked.

"Messengers have been sent to gain further information on the topic before an appropriate action could be taken."

"Messengers?" Yue's voice rose, "You only sent messengers when dozens of people and innocent demons are losing their lives everyday at the hands of those hordes of demons!"

Sesshomaru scrutinized the woman, not missing the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"My family could be some of those dying out there! I did everything I could to make sure they had the chance to get away, and I refuse to have a cold hearted demon lord erase their chances at survival just because he is too reserved to send out his soldiers!"

Her voice began to break as tiny droplets of water began to fall down her now blushed cheeks.

Even with the frigid daggers being sent to him from Yue, Sesshomaru maintained his composure.

"Blindly sending my soldiers out to a battle with no definite outcome is no way to prevent the loss of life. Without intelligence, my soldiers would be unprepared to defend themselves and this land. More bloodshed will occur because not only are the locals going to suffer, but the soldiers will perish with them as well. Without these soldiers to maintain order in the rest of the Western Territories, everything will fall into chaos and rebellions will rise without any means of ending them," he harshly defended, "Tell me, is the life of one family worth more than the lives of another? These soldiers that you desire to blindly send into battle have their own families to protect."

Yue angled her head so that she was facing the floor, and the shadow of her hair hid her expression. Tears fell on her shaking hands as they gripped her kimono.

"I understand," Yue whispered, "I know that sending them into a suicidal fight would resolve nothing. And...just as those soldiers have their families to protect...I..."

She raised her head high and spoke firmly, "I have mine as well."

Sesshomaru gave her the faintest sign of a smile.

"Please, Lord Sesshomaru, give me permission to find my family. They are my only company left in this world," she pleaded.

"Impossible," came the heart-wrenching reply.

"But- But why. I have no more need to stay. My wounds have healed to the point where I am capable of traveling and I hold no promise to remain in this castle."

"But I hold a promise."

"And what would this promise be. I am not even from your lands," she cried, desperate to find her loved ones.

"I hold a promise to protect those who live under my lands. You are now a part of the western population, and as such, I, Lord of these Lands, cannot allow my subjects to journey across my forests in a time of danger and violence."

'I cannot allow you to walk willfully into death,' he added in his mind.

Yue jolted from her seat, her whole body trembling with frustration at her current situation.

"Just as you have that duty, I have a duty to protect those close to me," she seethed, "I will not just stand by and watch as my family is eradicated from this world."

She turned to the direction of the door so that she could go back to her quarters and prepare her things for her departure.

'With or without his blessing, I will not remain in this fortress while my family suffers!'

Just as she was about to take a step towards her exit, Sesshomaru stood before her in a flash and held tightly, but gently, at her arms.

"Let me pass!"

She struggled in his grasp and took a step back to regain her balance. However, the back of her feet met the edge of the tea table and her leg buckled beneath her from the unexpected contact, her still recovering body, and the weight that Sesshomaru placed on her arms.

She began to fall and Sesshomaru fell with her, unable to maintain a stable footing with her body at such a close distance and her hands grasping his clothes. But before Yue could feel the slam of her back against the table, Sesshomaru hugged her close before twisting his body so that he would take the blow first. With a loud crack, the table shattered under their weight, Sessmomaru feeling the porcelain from the teapot and tea cup digging its way through his flesh.

Sesshomaru laid over the table with Yue resting above him. Calmly, the demoness tilted her head to get a good glimpse of Sesshomaru staring right back at her.

"You are not injured, I presume," he said. Even in such a situation, he still managed to keep an icy boundary.

She shook her head and answred with a, "Mm uh."

Yue got off of him before assisting him to a sitting position. Surprisingly, the Western Lord didn't reject the aid.

"I.." Yue felt guilty, "I apologize."

Sesshomaru got to his feet, the demoness looking at the ground in dismay.

She heard rustling and saw the golden-eyed man removing the upper half of his clothing, his back facing her.

"You're hurt!" she gasped, looking at the broken pieces of porcelain protruding from his back, blood oozing out from the wound and several scratches.

Sesshomaru discarded his blood stained white shirt to the floor. As he was just about to find another shirt and some herbal medicine for his back, he sensed Yue come up behind him. He turned his head as the young woman lightly fingered the newly attained wounds.

"I'm sorry!," she stated whole-heartedly, "I didn't mean to...I didn't mean to hurt you like this..."

"There is nothing to fret about such minor wounds," was his calm answer.

Yue bit her lip. "Still, I caused you to be in such a state. Please, tell me if there is any way I can be of assistance to you right now."

"I just require another shirt from the drawer at the corner. Then go towards the bureau on the left side of the futon and you'll find a box filled with medicinal herbs and a clean piece of cloth."

Gently, Yue aided Sesshomaru to a sitting position before setting about the room to get the necessary items. Sesshomaru watched as the demoness went from the drawer to the bureau, her kimono lifted to her knees by her hands for a more liberal use of her legs. He regarded her long, trim legs, the well-developed calves flexing as she walked.

Yue placed the clean piece of silk in front of Sesshomaru before kneeling behind him with the medicinal box and cloth at her side.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she called, "Do you want me to call forth one of the medics to treat you?"

"No, these minor wounds are far from life threatening. And the medicinal herbs are just for the sake of catalyzing the recovery time," he blatantly replied.

"Is it...Is it alright if...if I just remove the shards?"

"How else is it to heal?"

"Um, of course, sire," she said, her face slightly red from embarrassment.

One by one, she removed the shattered pieces of porcelain, keeping a careful ear for any signs that Sesshomaru was in pain. He wasn't. His face was calm and serene, as though he was not injured at all.

Realizing that she needed water to clean the scratches, she left towards Sesshomaru's bathing chamber and returned with a bowl of warm water. Upon her return, Sesshomaru noticed that she had spilled a large amount of water in the front of her kimono. The soaked piece of silk then began to stick to Yue's body, hugging the shapes of her front form.

His eyes bore into her skin as she leaned back down to clean his wound. Although she felt the lord's eyes watching her every move, Yue ignored it, stating that she had to clean his wounds first. She dabbed the clean cloth into the water and rubbed it careful on the open skin. After, she applied some grounded medicinal herbs on her hands to accurately put them on the areas that needed it. As she glided her slim fingers across the soft, white flesh, she felt muscles contract wherever her hands had been. She tried to hide her growing blush but failed to do so.

'His body is so-' she cut her thought off before she could finish.

Sesshomaru felt the uneasiness of her fingers against his back and decided to take a look at the woman. He saw the obvious redness in her cheeks. And his nose began to smell a scent in the air.

'Arousal,' he named.

Yue could smell it too and stopped herself before she got too carried away.

She told him when she was done. Sesshomaru stood up, the shirt in his hands. Yue stood afterwards and watched as the lord stretched his limps to fit into the piece of clothing. She saw his flawless body, ripples of lean muscle developed under the thin white marble of his skin.

Once he had finished, Yue stood like a statue trying her best to keep her composure under control.

"Um, my lord, if I may," she started, "I shall r-return to my quarters now."

Silently, Yue berated herself for her small stutter.

"I will," she heard Sesshomaru say, causing her to look back at him questioningly, "send one of my soldiers to search for your family."

She grinned widely at his unexpected gesture of kindness.

"Thank you."

She had actually forgotten about leaving for the short time the she was tending his injuries. But, nonetheless, she was greatful for even the small fraction of his help.

---+---

Well, this chapter is done.

Please, I am kindly begging you, my reader, please review. Thank you.


	5. Chapter 5: Runaway Melody

Chapter Fiveee is now Published!

Some things you first need to know:

- In the song here, the first lines are from Yue while the second lines are Rin's. The little dashes every two lines is to simplify each part of the song in Yue's and Rin's part so as to not make it confusing. If you are still having trouble comprehending this, please don't hesitate to ask me.

- The song in this chapter is solely made up. It is not a real song.

Enjoy!

---+---

Chapter Five:

Runaway Melody

"...Mmmmm mhmmm..."

"...Mmmmm mhmmm...," repeated a childish voice.

"A little bit lower," Yue instructed.

The demon and the young girl had been in one of the inner gardens of the palace. Rin had wanted to create a beautiful bouquet of flowers out of the garden plants to decorate the fortress with. Yue willingly agreed to help her, finding it hard to say no to the innocent girl. But while they were arranging the irises and lilies in one of the vases they had yet to fill, they had just suddenly began a random topic about singing. Rin had said that her mother had sang her songs when she was little, and listening on to the child's nostalgic story, Yue offered to teach her a song she'd learned centuries before.

"Good job, Rin," Yue praised.

Giggles came out of the girl's mouth at hearing the praise.

"Are you ready to try and sing the song with me now?" Yue asked kindly after pushing the flower bouquet she had recently finished aside.

"Mhm," Rin nodded in excitement.

The two began to sing a soft tune, Yue singing the melody with Rin following on with the harmony.

-

"La la lala La la lala

"... la lala .... la lala

-

The sky could be seen

...

-

Both night and both day

... Night and day

-

And you will find some hidden dreams

And you will-illllllll

-

Behind what's left to stay heee ayy

Behind what's left

-

...

Mmmmm mhmmm

-

The sun will shine and the sun will set

...

-

...

Colors of the rainbow will fade

-

Stars will appear to replace any threat

Star-a-a-rr....any threat

-

In a heaven that is made

...

-

Once in a blue moon

Once in a blue moon

-

Fa lala lala lala

Fa lala lala lala

-

Oooo lala la"

... lala la"

-

Yue let out a light-hearted laugh, "Good job, Rin!"

"Thank you," Rin laughed, "That's such a pretty song."

"Mmm, and you sang it very well!"

A giggle was Yue's response.

"Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin stopped her laughing, "Did you hear us?"

"Hn."

Yue looked behind where she sat, and what she saw was the lord standing just a few feet away.

"My lord," she acknowledged.

"Did you like the song, Lord Sesshomaru," Rin asked, "Yue just taught it to me."

When no answer came from the lord, Rin announced that she was going to put a bouquet in her room, not at all minding Sesshomaru's lack of a response.

"I'll see you later, Yue," she waved goodbye, a vase filled with flowers in one hand.

"Mmm mmm..." they heard the child hum as she disappeared behind the castle's walls.

"She's an odd one, but she has such a good heart," Yue commented.

Silence. Feeling the awkward atmosphere begin to naw at her mind, the onyx-eyed female excused herself to put a bouquet in her own quarters.

"What was that song?" she heard.

Yue rotated her body back around to give her answer.

"My...mother taught it to me just a while before she died," she remembered, "Besides, it's common knowledge that humans don't live very long compared to demons. It's like a memoir of who she was."

"Human?" Sesshomaru inquired, a hint of curiousity emanating from his question.

Yue quirked her head, as if just realizing that she hadn't told him yet.

"Well, yes. My mother and father were both humans. They found me outside their house one day," she started, "They were a bit cautious to take in a demon, but I guess they took pity on my life and raised me as their own. They had died centuries ago..."

"Then who is this family that you want to so badly protect?" he pursued.

"They're what's left of my mother and father's blood. I vowed to them that I'd protect their relatives - children, grand-children, and so on - until I no longer could," she explained, "That's why I...I have to find them. I owe their ancestors for raising me as they did."

During the story, Sesshomaru voiced no opinion, but rather, just contented himself to watch as her expressions changed from sadness, to worry, to determination. And her hands restlessly fingering the vase she held.

"Have they found...um," she whispered, "Have they..."

Knowing full well what she meant, Sesshomaru took the initiative to answer.

"No, there has still been no sign of your family."

Yue lowered her brows in disappointment.

"I see."

She told him shortly that she had to leave to place her the flowers in her room before meeting Natsumi about her health status.

--+--

"Lady Yue," Natsumi began as she started to cover the demoness's injuries in bandages once more, "it seems that you are close to making a full recovery. Just several more days, and you should be..."

'It's been three days since those soldiers have been to sent to find them, but still nothing,' she thought, completely forgetting the woman tending to her ailments.

"Apply some medicinal herbs...," the red-haired woman continued on.

'I know that Lord Sesshomaru is trying to find them, but it doesn't seem enough to make me stop worrying,' Yue realized, 'As I had promised to mother and father, I should be the one protecting them right now...I should be one of those people searching for them...And Seishin...I have to find it, as well...'

"Lady Yue," called Natsumi, finally aware of the fact that she was not being minded.

Snapped out of her inner conversation, Yue apologized.

"Are you alright, though?" the woman asked, "Were you feeling any sort of pain?"

"Oh no, Natsumi. I'm fine. I just got lost in my own thoughts is all," she assured.

"Alright. I shall be going now. Don't hesitate to summon me if you require anything, okay?"

Natsumi stood up and made a move to leave Yue's private quarter.

"Okay. Thank you, again, Natsumi," Yue said, "Goodbye."

'I have to leave!'

Natsumi, failing to see the double meaning in the demoness's words, said her farewell.

"Goodbye."

--+--

A stealthy figure blanketed by the darkness of the night's shadows moved silently, the crescent moon its only source of light in the sleeping fortress. It jumped from a window in the upper most level and landed in the outer gardens where two guards were patrolling. Carefully, she waited until the guards had their backs to her location before leaping over the stone walls surrounding the castle. After jumping over the moat, she made her way to the safe covers of the forest.

"Forgive me."

---+---

After this chapter, everything is going to get a whole lot more interesting.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Please review me on the progress of this story. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6: Moments

Chapter Six is Now Welcome.

Wells, hope you guys like this chapter.

---+---

Chapter Six:

Moments

"Seishin, it's good that no one took you from this place."

Yue gathered the two silver sais from where they laid in the former battleground. Even after days pass, the scene was still filled with the rotten corpses and the raw stench of decomposition.

"I am sorry I could not retrieve you sooner," she spoke as she joined the two separate blades . This caused them to shimmer with light before transforming into a long silver staff with a large, sky blue gem at the top. A similar but smaller gem was positioned at its foot. All throughout the staff were wild, golden spirals that ended to for an intricate curved cage of swirls around both jewels.

"Now, let's go find Shinta and the others..."

Her head and ear, out of nowhere, perked up in alert.

She knew.

"Sesshomaru," she said, purposely leaving out the honorific.

She knew it was him before even turning around. And she knew leaving would be be more difficult now that _he_ had shown up.

"Demoness."

Yue knew what he was asking. And she would give him a clear answer.

"No, you will not abate my leaving until I have guaranteed their safe return," she firmly told him, both her hands grasping Seishin. The same glow surrounded the weapon again before it split to create the pair of sais.

Sesshomaru noted the fire, wind, water, and earth that had formed only to swirl around the woman.

"I will not yield!" she continued knowing full well that he was going to try and stop her.

Charging, her fork-like steel met with Tokijin - Sesshomaru's blood-lust blade.

It continued on with sword versus sais, both completely aware that the other was not fighting to kill. It was a child fight with the fighters raging on a minimum of their powers.

'I have to fight him,' Yue reasoned with herself, 'I have to fight him with all I have if I have any chances of leaving this place.'

It was decided.

Leaping back, Yue set forth a whirlwind at the lord before chucking sharp pieces of rock at his body. Sesshomaru, sensing that the battle had gained a more serious atmosphere brought forth his dragon strike to demolish the incoming attacks.

He didn't know why, but he didn't want to hurt her. It was a feeling that he had never felt during a battle before, but he still knew, he would not harm her.

As the bright lighting dissipated, Yue cut through to aim one sai at Sesshomaru. The lord dodged it, which Yue quickly recovered. Sesshomaru then used Tokijin to shield against the sais the demoness had tried to strike with. Both weapons crossed in front of them, they gazed at each others eyes - Sesshomaru's glazed with his usual cold demeanor but also taking on a fierce yet soft aura while Yue's held an unyielding determination to win.

Just when Yue was about to take a step back to regain her ground, Sesshomaru did something she completely did not expect. In shock, her defense crumpled.

Yue stared before her with wide eyes, the Western Lord shielding her view with his face so intimately close to her, their lips touching and gradually becoming deeper against the other. She couldn't read his expression since his eyes had drooped to a close.

Finally snapping back to reality, she struggled with the strong grip each of his hands had placed on hers. Her arms were glued to her side, the sais difficult to move. Fire then began to surge out of the twin arsenal, blazing widely at Sesshomaru's arms and nipping at his skin.

'I have to get...' she told herself.

'I have to..."

Her resolve began to fade when she felt Sesshomaru intensify the kiss. She melted with the fire quickly dying down and the pair of sais dropping from her hold. Yue began to return the kiss, willingly letting him enter his slick tongue into the caverns of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he had his snake around her waist to secure her body to his. Yue's claws lightly ran through his scalp and then fingered the soft strands of silver hair. In response, the lord tenderly sent his hands up and down her back to feel the natural curves of her body.

The demoness felt his body slowly move away and his lips lifted to hover above her own, though sensing a bit of reluctance in his actions. When he stood a good feet away from her, a young demon landed on a crouch behind where he stood.

'I see. A messenger,' Yue deducted.

"My lord," he said.

Sesshomaru turned around and paced towards the soldier.

"What is the report towards the issue regarding the southern border?" the Lord of the West commanded.

Still on his knees, the man answered, "It appears that some of our men trying to protect our lands from the intruding demons have been killed. And intelligence gained from the region tells of a small clan that had illegally crossed from the south continually murdering guards at the southern border, leaving gaps in the security, and thus, more demons are entering without legal authority. The drought in the Southern Lands have also inflamed this unwarranted migration."

"I see."

"My lord, the honorary council has also sent me to attain your orders on the matter," the soldier stated.

Sesshomaru paused, thinking momentarily, and spoke his orders. "Inform the council to maintain a stronger guard by the border and send soldiers to defeat the demons that are terrorizing the population of this land."

"Yes, my lord."

"And tell them that I shall be going to the Southern border to personally deal with _this_ clan," the silver-haired man continued.

The young soldier raised his head in slight surprise, "Sire?"

"No one is allowed to wreck havoc in the lands under my authority and protection. No one, especially criminals born from another region," was the deadly reply.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru." And with that, the messenger disappeared.

Yue had listened intently on the conversation, shoving the affectionate occurrence between them to the back of her mind for the time being.

Sesshomaru about faced and walked past her in the direction heading away from the palace - the path leading to the southern border and the path leading to where she had last seen her family.

At first, Yue gawked with confusion at his retreating figure. But realization soon dawned on her.

'I guess we shall be going the same way,' she comprehended, running to catch up to his pace, not at all minding at having to travel with him, though the intimate moment still fresh in her mind. But she had no clue as to what it meant for it is not easy to just ask a lord, the leader of the the Western Lands to be exact. So, as a result, she decided to not say anything since she doubted that she'd even get any answers from the cold prince. She concluded that things would unfold on their own given time.

But for now, they walk the same road.

---+---

Here you go. The fluff is starting to appear.

Please review.


	7. Chapter 7: Unhealed Burns

Chapter Seven of Once in a Blue Moon!

It's kinda fluffy, but not really.

So here it is.

---+---

Chapter Seven:

Unhealed Burns

Yue sighed.

'This is very strange.'

Two demons, one cold hearted and the other with a strange past, walking around the forest on a quest to stop a large quantity of trespassing demons all the while searching for a human family is not exactly the most common occurrence.

Another quiet sigh.

Finally tired of having nothing to do, the demoness resulted to just taking in nature's beauty that she had just realized was pretty much everywhere around her. Red flowers dotted certain parts of the ground, and lively green colors made the scene vivid and picturesque.

"It's beautiful," she murmured.

"You seem to take consideration in the most trivial matters, demoness."

Hearing the comment, Yue was pulled out of her thoughts, looking on to Sesshomaru's back.

"Hm, it appears so," she confessed, "But the matters that you consider to be so necessary would not look as important were it not for these trivial things to uphold their greatness."

Sesshomaru didn't say anything. What she said was true.

As as she was about to continue on at her inspection with the environmental beauty, Yue saw something.

She gasped.

"I did that, didn't I?" she asked, knowing full well that it was her fault. Yue remembered ordering Seishin to get Sesshomaru away from her when he had kissed her during their battle. As a result, she felt heat rising from the sais; fire, she had assumed.

'I did this.'

The lord turned around at the question just in time to see Yue reaching out her arms and gently touching his. He looked down at her as she continued to inspect the burn marks on his hands - burn marks that spiraled around his arms and stretched up to just below his elbow. He had managed to ignore the sting a while back but know, the unwanted feeling of it started to come back, numbing his arms with a bit of pain. But it wasn't a tremendous amount of discomfort that he, Sesshomaru, could not deal with. Still, Yue lifted the sleeves of his kimono to see the extent of the burn marks.

'His skin...it's been completely eaten away at where the fire had probably been,' she noted, 'And yet, although he was burned so badly, he isn't showing any pain in his expression.'

She looked up intently to find a hidden clue of pain in his face. There wasn't any.

'He's hiding it well. Even a great dog demon would feel some sort of reaction to burns as deep and as long as these,' Yue concluded.

But no matter what, this was all shoved up for her shoulders to carry.

"I did not mean to,"she said quietly.

"This wound is nothing," Sesshomaru explained to her, "It should completely heal within several days."

Liar. She knew he was lying. Wounds, especially burns as deep and widespread as these, would take a minimum of a week to heal completely even for demons.

"Still, let me take care of it so that it shall heal more quickly," she told him instead.

She started to lead him to a large rock nearby, tugging gently on his arms in order to carefully steer clear of the incinerated flesh. Yue pushed down on his shoulders to get him to sit on the protruding rock before kneeling on her knees to have better access on his injuries.

"I thought you had wanted to find your family," she heard him say, "Why do you bother taking care of a wound that would eventually heal even without such treatment."

"My family is strong. And I believe that they would want me to take care of matters that are of my own reckless consequence," Yue answered.

She smiled a bit before continuing on, "And besides my lord, even if this wound is capable of taking care of itself without my intrusion, it does so with the presence of discomfort. And it bothers me that I am the cause of such pain."

"Hn. Do as you please."

"Thank you, my lord. I _am_ sorry for having done this to you," the woman apologized. And Sesshomaru knew that she meant it.

Once Yue had looked at the burns for the best course of treatment, she headed out to gather some water to clean them with. As rapidly as she could, she dipped a large leaf she had found under a small pool of water. Once doing so, she raced back to find Sesshomaru looking as passive as ever as he remained sitting on the rock.

Soaking a white cloth that she had brought in case of situations such as these, she dabbed the burns. This was the second time that she had to tend to him because he had managed to get hurt as a result of her actions. And this was the second time that she paid careful attention to any signs of pain that may slip from his controlled emotions. But once again, Sesshomaru did not give such clues, so Yue continued on by applying an herbal ointment that she always carried behind the sash on her waist.

'Okay, now all I need are bandages.'

The demoness finally decided to rip a part of her sleeves to wrap around the cleaned and salved limps. However, just as she made a move to tear a part of her kimono into two pieces, a hand gripped hers in a firm but soft touch, effectively stopping her.

"It is fine."

"But I still have to cover your burns," she reasoned with him, not at all trying to pry her hands from his hold.

"No, you have done more than enough for me," Sesshomaru said, "The medicine should be able to heal it just fine without bandages."

"Um, if you say so."

"Hn."

Releasing his hands, the demon stood from his sitting position. He turned and began walking to the south, but Yue remained sitting on the ground, unknowingly fixed to her position. Apparently, whenever they have encounters like these, she always managed to become fixated or dazed. But it's not like she could even think clearly at these times.

Sesshomaru stopped.

"Are you not coming?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," Yue said after finally coming to her senses and running up to walk side by side with the young lord.

She gave an almost unnoticeable smile, but Sesshomaru saw it.

'He's starting to seem more human. Well, as human as a demon could get."

And with that, their journey continues on.

---+---

So, as you can see, Sesshomaru is starting to give some hints of emotion. But don't get me wrong, I am not trying to make him get out of character.

And now...Review Please!


	8. Chapter 8: Seishin

Chapter Eight...Seishin!

It's long. Hope you guys don't mind.

Here you gooo:

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Chapter Eight:

Seishin

Awkward silence.

That was how it had been since they started on their way again. A whole day and a half of such a thick atmosphere was what Yue had to put up it. She had no idea what to say. She couldn't bring up the kiss that had happened between them a while back. No, that would be such a strange topic to discuss with a person as distant as this man in front of her. She could talk about the demons running a rampage through his lands...but that would probably piss him off. Okay, she could talk to him about finding her family. Eh, she'd talked about them enough that he's probably sick to the stomach with it. Okay, running out of topics to choose from, Yue began to wonder whether this was how it was going to be during the entire trip. That is, awkward.

She gulped. 'I hope not.'

"That staff of yours..."

She broke out of her reverie.

'Did he just say something?'

"It controls the four main elements, does it not?"

'I guess he did.'

"Um, yes," she answered. 'He must have learned that when I was flinging all that dirt, wind, and fire at him back then.'

"That is a special ability, I presume?"

"Yes. And no,"

Sesshomaru quirked an eyebrow a bit though Yue couldn't tell since she was still behind him.

"How so?"

"Because it has one other ability, too. It can steal the souls of whomever the wielder orders it to. But after centuries of protecting myself with it, I discovered that it can suck only a certain amount of souls at a given time. But the more souls it gains at this allotted time, the stronger the elemental attacks become. Of course, this effect wears off once the souls have...ran dry...you could say," Yue explained, "But I prefer not to involve souls in my battle, no matter how horrible they are. Well, I don't get them involved until I absolutely have to, of course."

"And why do you give your enemies an opportunity to gain advantage over you when you could state your victory through such an attack?"

"Because not only am I stealing their lives, but I am also stealing their passage to the afterlife. Surely, as a lord, you understand that taking ones soul is like erasing them from existence. Without it, they cannot rest in peace in the afterlife...They will simply vanish."

"Why didn't you use the attack to protect your family? Under that circumstance, you probably would not have hesitated to completely vanquish your foes."

"I didn't," Yue said, looking blankly at the swishing movement of Sesshomaru's hair.

"That is, I did not hesitate to use it," she clarified, "There were just too many demons that I only managed to kill a mere handful of them. The souls _were_ strengthening my attacks, but demons just kept arriving at a faster rate than I killed them. And even when I was able to steal their souls once again, I couldn't. I couldn't even control the elements around me anymore that I resulted to just using normal battle techniques, probably like what you saw before I passed out on you."

"Why is that then?" came another question.

"In order to fully control this weapon, the wielder must have strength and stamina. Because if the person is weak upon summoning its powers, the attacks would go awry. I've learned that from being nearly killed by it several times when I was younger. I even had my soul nearly drained from my body," Yue explained, remembering the times she had nearly lost her life with her own attack, "So I've learned normal combat skills to fight with. But I was thankful that I had enough demonic aura left to keep Seishin it its sais form when those demons had attacked me continuously."

The lord looked on ahead, paying very much attention to the woman's words. Although, no one would be able to tell just my looking at his aloof posture.

'At least this answers some of my questions about this woman,' he thought.

"Wait, why is it that you are asking me so many questions right now, Lord Sesshomaru?" Yue turned the tables. Now it was her turn to ask what was on her mind.

"Because it is my will," the lord easily retorted. But truthfully, he had wanted to satisfy his curiosity about the creature, and he found that the silence that had surrounded them was a good place to gain some clues to solve the mystery that is Yue.

"You are lying."

"You challenge me, woman?" he said, stopping in his tracks to view the demoness, giving a look that screamed watch-what-you-say-unless-you-have-a-death-wish.

Yue completely aware of the scrutiny, ignored it before giving her honest answer.

"No, I am not," she began, not at all cowering at his feet, "I am just stating what I see. I seek no argument or bloodshed."

Afterwards, she continued on in her way and walked past the lord. Surprisingly, Sesshomaru did not do anything as she had originally expected. He just simply started down the path again.

'The woman has courage. Albeit, she has a too strong a mind that speaks her equally strong tongue,' he noted, 'But, it is still courage, nonetheless.'

'The lord needs to lessen his grip on authority. He holds it as though it holds together who he is as a man. He has to understand trust in other people besides forcing them to cower in order to have them do as he wills," Yue believed.

'The man needs courage...Courage to trust.'

The journey continued on, sunset fast approaching but neither cared much for it. Demons do not need to rest as constantly as humans do.

And now...awkward silence.

Again.

Awkward silence - that is until a large centipede unexpectedly sprang forth from the left.

The demon and demoness bounded back to easily avoid the over-sized insect's swerving tail. Sesshomaru, without much thought, tore the invading insect into small pieces using his energy whip. However, as he did so, several spiders came forth. Yue used her power to control earth to bury the insects in a pile of sharp rocks.

Demons ranging from moths to flesh-eating ravens now surrounded them on all sides. Normally, creatures often knew Sesshomaru as Lord of the Lands and minded not to bother him. But seeing as these demons were probably from the South, they were naive with the fact that interfering with his business assured a premature death.

Sesshomaru and Yue set forth to clear their path, turning another patch of the green forest into a blood bath.

"Mother! Father! Anyone! Please, help me!" the demoness heard a quiet whimper.

She executed several demons surrounding a bush in the direction that she had heard the cry. Kneeling down, she found a little boy who was probably from the village they had passed a little while back.

"It's okay," she said in a hushed tone so as to not further scare the frightened child.

A demon sprang from behind Yue, a loud roar grumbling from its throat, ready to devour them both.

"Ahhh!" the boy screamed, cover his head with his arms.

When he saw that Yue was holding off the demon, he began sprinting back towards the village, the demoness killing the demons that tried to come near him as he went. Unfortunately, however, Seishin had been thrown from her grasped when she was trying to fend the demon behind her to protect the child. When the boy was at a safe distance, she found her weapon lying a little ways to her right where Sesshomaru was demolishing the demons before him.

But she couldn't get there as quickly as she had wanted to - too many demons just kept appearing in her way.

'This is just like before. They won't quit.'

Yue then saw Sesshomaru heading towards Seishin with the intent on using it.

"Sess-" she was cut off.

Demons blocked her view. She did everything she could to get through. When she was done, she witnessed as Sesshomaru tried to grasp the silver staff with his hands.

Tried and failed.

Heated sparks of energy bombarded his hands like lightening, a strong barrier also shielding him from touching the staff. Sesshomaru suddenly felt weak. His legs crumbled and his eyes began to lose their sight. The last thing he saw was Yue running towards him, reaching out to touch the hands that he could no longer feel.

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Sesshomaru is down. Dun, dun, dunnnn...

So, this chapter is a bit long with a lot of content. Sorry for pushing all this information on you guys. I just wanted to get the background over and almost done with.

Hoped you enjoyed this.

Please review!


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